Having filed an Appeal and Protest with UAW Local 600 according to Article 32, Section 5 (a) based on the Ethical Practices codes as written in the UAW Constitution, and having been wrongly rejected by both the Local 600 Recording Secretary, acting on his own in December, and the Local 600 General Council Delegates this Appeal is now addressed to the International Executive Board for redress and correction.

This Appeal as stated above cites the Ethical Practices codes, specifically “paragraph #4. “Each Local Union shall maintain adequate safeguards so that all of its operations shall be conducted in a democratic and fair manner. No corruption, discrimination or anti-democratic procedure shall ever be permitted under any circumstances.” Paragraph #3. Is also cited, “All Union rules and laws must be fairly and uniformly applied”.

The UAW Ford Contract Ratification vote and the procedures used to conduct the vote at DTP, UAW Local 600 were lacking in “adequate safeguards” and those conducting the Vote failed in regard to ‘fairly and uniformly applied” Union rules and Laws. Since this Appeal was first initiated, it has been repeatedly said that “this was not an Election, it was a Ratification” and the Election Procedures and rules do not apply. While there are certainly some differences, there are many rules, laws, and safeguards that could and should be “fairly and uniformly applied” to both. While a National Contract Ratification vote does not have the same Government oversight that is found in the Election of Officers, it is certainly of equal importance in regard to the livelihood, prosperity, and principals that the UAW is founded on, and as such should be bound by the Ethical Practices listed above to those same “adequate safeguards so that all of its operations shall be conducted in a democratic and fair manner.” Somewhere in the past it was determined that a Contract Ratification vote did not fall under the umbrella of “all of its operations”. In the case of a National Contract Ratification vote, which will effect UAW Locals and members in multiple states across the country, the need for the individual member to trust that when he casts his vote it will carry the same weight and value as the next vote in line or the vote cast half way across the country dictates the need to standardize the Ratification Procedures when it comes to National Contracts. Using the UAW publication “Guide for Local Union Election Committees” to affect this is not a far stretch! Going back to 1974, and no less than 6 times since then, the PRB has advised the IUAW of the need for clarification of the Contract Ratification procedures found in the UAW Constitution. In light of what took place with the 2015 UAW Ford Tentative Agreement, the need is just as prevalent today.

Based on the Attached Appeal as originally presented to UAW Local 600, and the other attachments as listed, I ask that the IEB rule in my favor, correct the vote results and I ask the UAW Constitution Language be clarified and procedures standardized for National Contracts!